It had all the makings of a media feud for the ages, but unfortunately it died before the true haymakers really landed.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons versus NBA coach Doc Rivers was the kind of media throwdown that really would have provided something fun to watch.

One of the best things about it was that since Rivers doesn’t use Twitter, it was going to happen in front of our eyes and ears, as opposed to in bursts of 140 characters. Unfortunately, it’s already reportedly over, and all we have are some fun barbs and exchanges, so we’ll just have to go back to our regularly scheduled off-season programming (hello, baseball). It really is too bad, but even the way it ended had a perfect media superstar coda.

It all started with Simmons calling out Rivers for leaving his beloved Boston Celtics and moving on to the L.A. Clippers. With the trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and even Rivers allegedly being offered for a pick, the Celtics are in rebuilding mode, and the coach is heading off to supposedly greener pastures.

Simmons responded by saying the Rivers kept changing his story about why and how he left.

Then the fight actually did get on Twitter — and went intergenerational — with a string of tweets from Rivers’ son, Jeremiah, lambasting Simmons, to which we have to give the Sports Guy props for this response:

“When I get home I’m signing up my 5 and a half year old son for Twitter so he can defend me against Doc Rivers’ kids.”

Rivers then went on Dan Patrick’s radio show, which has become the de facto home of former ESPN-ers doing exit interviews, and also one of the high-profile places to bash the worldwide leader in sports. There, his ultimate insult was calling Simmons “a fan.”

At this point we have to pause because, yes, Simmons has long come at sportswriting from the prospective of a fan — a well informed, acerbic and often hilarious one. His email newsletter not only launched his meteoric career, but thousands of bloggers’ careers as well. Heck, you could say he helped make blogging a legitimate career for many. He is rightly considered a pioneer of modern sports coverage. Beyond that, he’s a fan with a hugely dedicated audience, and love him or hate him, with sites like Grantland, the 30 for 30 documentaries and more, he is one of the most influential sports media personalities in North America.

He also doesn’t need anyone defending him, and clearly was giving as good as he got during this exchange. Rivers is old school, and the “fan” shot was the kind that exposes him as a dinosaur. What’s funny is that he is always a good quote, and has jumped back and forth from media to coaching, so one thing he might bristle at is the fact that Simmons and his expanded analyst profile is opening the door for talking heads who aren’t former players or coaches.

All this would have been an amazing set-up to even more conflict as Rivers heads west to coach the L.A. Clippers, where Simmons is also a resident. This could have been a media feud for the ages — although it’s not one we think Rivers could really win. In a war of words, you’ve got to go with the columnist and Twitter maven.

But unfortunately, it’s already been settled, and with what else but a good old-fashioned intervention by another venerated member of the media, Mike Wilbon, the Pardon the Interruption arguer who also hosts the NBA halftime segments on ESPN, with Simmons as a panellist. He got the two to chat, and after a 45-minute discussion all is reportedly peachy between the big-time coach and the big-time columnist.

Who was telling the truth in this fight? It clearly depended on your perspective. You could say Simmons was being a good journalist and just tried to pin down Rivers on his statements, which the coach used to cast himself in a better light.

But Simmons does have his own agenda, and clearly he’s an advocate for Boston teams. Considering his growing role as an on-air analyst — and let’s be honest, until this fight, he’s been underwhelming compared to other successes — while he managed to spice up draft, feuds are not going to keep him up there on the analyst desk.

These types of coach-versus-media feuds are always out there, often under the cover of columns or the occasional snide comment — see Brian Burke’s outgoing shot at the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons. That this one started to play out on national TV and radio airwaves was a surprise.

In an increasingly sanitized media world, it was a display of grittiness between a coach and the world’s most empowered fan. It is best that the fight is over, although we have a feeling that with both guys in L.A., there’s likely to be a flare-up at some point.

Following Terrell Owen’s advice, we’ve got our popcorn ready.

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